ABC Announces Fall 2014-15 Schedule

by Trevor Kimball, May 13, 2014

ABC has released their plans for the upcoming Fall 2014 schedule — which looks a lot like last fall’s schedule. The minor changes include: Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD is moving back an hour. The Goldbergs is moving to Wednesdays, in a compatible spot between The Middle and Modern Family. On Thursdays, Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal are each moving up an hour, to give lead-in support to new series How to Get Away with Murder.

Returning shows include 20/20, America’s Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor, Castle, Dancing With The Stars, The Goldbergs, The Great Christmas Light Fight, Grey’s Anatomy, Last Man Standing, Marvel’s Agents Of SHIELD, The Middle, Modern Family, Nashville, Once Upon A Time, Resurrection, Revenge, Scandal, and Shark Tank.

New shows include Agent Carter, American Crime, The Astronaut Wives Club, Black-ish, Cristela, Forever, Fresh Off The Boat, Galavant, How To Get Away With Murder, Manhattan Love Story, Secrets and Lies, Selfie, and The Whispers.

ABC continues its commitment to world-class storytelling and new creative voices with the announcement of its 2014-15 slate of programming, including the addition of 12 new series. Paul Lee, president, ABC Entertainment Group, will unveil the network’s new lineup to the advertising and media communities this afternoon at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall.

“Our schedule reflects a judicious mix of boldness and stability,” said Lee. “ABC is finishing the season with momentum — we now have building blocks on every night of the week, and we’re using them to launch our new series. This season we set out to develop passion projects from world-class storytellers and showcase the faces and voices of America. Both plans unleashed a wave of creativity and we’re extremely excited about the new slate.”

ABC airs 7 of the Top 20 entertainment series on broadcast TV this season with Adults 18-49, more than any other network, including 4 of the Top 10: “Modern Family” – No. 3, “Grey’s Anatomy” – No. 4, “Scandal” – No. 8, “Resurrection” – No. 9, “Once Upon a Time” – No. 12, “The Bachelor” – No. 16 and “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” – No. 20.

New series for the 2014-15 season are “American Crime,” “Black-ish,” “Cristela,” “Forever,” “Fresh Off the Boat,” “Galavant,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Manhattan Love Story,” “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” “Secrets and Lies,” “Selfie” and “The Whispers.”

All over the news are reports about a young couple in Modesto, California, who were attacked in their home. Matt Skokie, a war vet, was killed, and his wife, Lily, is unconscious, barely hanging on. Both sets of parents are at her bedside hoping for a miracle while four suspects are about to be arrested. The case sends shock waves into the community stirring up tensions across racial lines in this gritty drama – from the point of view of the victims.

Doctor Henry Morgan (Ioan Gruffudd), New York City’s star medical examiner, has a secret. He doesn’t just study the dead to solve criminal cases, he does it to solve the mystery that has eluded him for 200 years – the answer to his own inexplicable immortality. This long life has given Henry remarkable observation skills which impresses his new partner, Detective Jo Martinez (Alana De La Garza). Each week, a new case and their budding friendship will reveal layers of Henry’s long and colorful past. Only his best friend and confidant, Abe (Judd Hirsch) knows Henry’s secret.

The brilliant, charismatic and seductive Professor Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) gets entangled with four law students from her class, “How to Get Away with Murder.” Little do they know that they will have to apply what they learned to real life, in this masterful, sexy, suspense-driven legal thriller from Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, executive producers of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal.”

“Marvel’s Agent Carter,” starring “Captain America’s” Hayley Atwell, follows the story of Peggy Carter. It’s 1946, and peace has dealt Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life – Steve Rogers. Inspired by the feature films “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” along with the short “Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter.”

Ben Garner (Ryan Phillippe) is about to go from Good Samaritan to murder suspect, after he discovers the body of his neighbor’s young son in the woods. As Detective Andrea Cornell (Juliette Lewis) digs for the truth, the secrets and lies of this town come to the surface and no one is above suspicion. Ben’s family’s life will be turned upside down as he sets out on a complicated journey to prove his innocence in this thriller mystery from Barbie Kligman (“Private Practice”) based on the original Australian series of the same name.

“Secrets and Lies” was written by Barbie Kligman. Executive producers are Barbie Kligman, Aaron Kaplan, Tracey Robertson and Nathan Mayfield. “Secrets and Lies” was directed by Charles McDougall, executive-produced by Kapital Entertainment with Hoodlum Entertainment and produced by ABC Studios.

Aliens have invaded Earth by using our most unlikely resource to achieve world domination – our children. As the kids unwittingly help these unseen enemies, the clock counts down in this suspenseful race to save humanity.

“The Whispers” was written and co-executive-produced by Soo Hugh, with Amblin TV co-producing. Executive producers are Steven Spielberg, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank and Dawn Olmstead. “The Whispers” was directed by Mark Romanek and produced by ABC Studios.

Andre ‘Dre’ Johnson (Anthony Anderson) has a great job, a beautiful wife, Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross), four kids, and a colonial home in the ‘burbs. But has success brought too much assimilation for this black family? With a little help from his dad (Laurence Fishburne), Dre sets out to establish a sense of cultural identity for his family that honors their past while embracing the future.

“Black-ish” was written by Kenya Barris, who also serves as executive producer. Executive producers are Larry Wilmore, Anthony Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland, Tom Russo, Brian Dobbins, Peter Principato, Paul Young and James Griffiths, who directed the pilot. “Black-ish” is produced by ABC Studios.

In her sixth year of law school, Cristela (Cristela Alonzo) is finally on the brink of landing her first big (unpaid) internship at a prestigious law firm. The only problem is that her pursuit of success is more ambitious than her traditional Mexican-American family thinks is appropriate. She’s stuck straddling the old culture she’s trying to modernize at home with her working-class family and the modern world she’s trying to embrace in her professional career. Breakout comedian Cristela Alonzo stars in this hilarious comedy about laughing your way down the path to the new American dream.

“Cristela” was written by Cristela Alonzo and Kevin Hench. Executive producers are Kevin Hench, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements and Shawn Levy. “Cristela” is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television.

It’s the 90s and 11 year old, hip-hop loving Eddie (Hudson Yang) just moved to suburban Orlando from DC’s Chinatown with his parents (Randall Park and Constance Wu). It’s culture shock for his immigrant family in this comedy about pursuing the American Dream. “Fresh Off the Boat” is based on Chef Eddie Huang’s memoir Fresh Off the Boat.

“Fresh Off the Boat” stars Randall Park as Louis, Constance Wu as Jessica, Hudson Yang as Eddie, Forrest Wheeler as Emery and Ian Chen as Evan.

“Fresh Off the Boat” was written by Nahnatchka Khan, who also serves as executive producer. Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar are executive producers, and Eddie Huang is producer. The series is produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

Screenwriter/executive producer Dan Fogelman (“Crazy, Stupid, Love,” “Tangled,” “Cars”) teams up with Broadway and Hollywood award-winning musical team – composer Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast”) and lyricist Glenn Slater (“The Little Mermaid,” “Tangled”) – for a musical comedy fairytale of epic proportions. Once upon a time, the dashing hero, Galavant (Joshua Sasse), lost the love of his life, Madalena (Mallory Jansen), to the evil King Richard (Timothy Omundson). Now, our fallen hero is ready to take revenge and restore his “happily ever after.” But it won’t be without a few twists and turns along the way.

“Galavant” stars Joshua Sasse as Galavant, Timothy Omundson as King Richard, Vinnie Jones as Gareth, Mallory Jansen as Madalena, Karen David as Isabella and Luke Youngblood as Sid.

Have you ever wondered what your date was thinking? This romantic comedy exposes the differences between men and women through the unfiltered thoughts, and often contradictory actions, of a new couple who have just begun dating.

“Instafamous” Eliza Dooley (Karen Gillan) has 263,000 followers who hang on to her every post, tweet and selfie. But one lonely day, she has a revelation: being friended is not the same as having actual friends. She asks marketing guru Henry (John Cho) to ‘rebrand’ her self-obsessed reputation and teach her how to connect with people in the real world. Loosely based on “My Fair Lady,” “Selfie” explores the modern struggles of Eliza and Henry, as he tries to teach her how to live life offline – whether she ‘likes’ it or not.

“Selfie” stars Karen Gillan as Eliza, John Cho as Henry, Tim Peper as Ethan, Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Charmonique, Allyn Rachel as Bryn and David Harewood as Sam.

“Selfie” was written by Emily Kapnek and directed by Julie Anne Robinson, who also serve as executive producers. “Selfie” is produced by Piece of Pie Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

When viewers first met Richard Castle, a famous mystery novelist, he was creatively blocked. But when the NYPD questioned him in connection with a series of murders staged to imitate crime scenes from his books, Castle found inspiration in NYPD Detective Kate Beckett. Once that initial case was solved, Castle and Beckett continued to investigate strange homicides in New York, combining Castle’s writer intuition and Beckett’s creative detective work to solve crimes. Becoming a couple during Season 5 and planning their wedding during Season 6, the dynamic duo have been navigating these new developments that make each episode play like a chapter in their lives as they looked ahead to their “I Do’s”… but in the season finale, Beckett was at the accident scene to see Castle’s car on fire after a crash down an embankment. Tune-in for the Season 7 premiere in September to see how it plays out.

“Grey’s Anatomy” follows the personal and professional lives of a group of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle as they deal with the wellbeing of their patients and their relationships with each other.

“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” a dynamic, action-packed one-hour drama, showcases Agent Phil Coulson and his team of highly skilled agents as they investigate extra-normal and super human people and events worldwide. Soon after the battle of New York, the existence of super heroes and aliens became public knowledge, and the world was trying to come to grips with this new reality. With new threats on the horizon, Coulson’s small, highly select group of Agents from the worldwide law-enforcement organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division) investigate the new, the strange and the unknown around the globe, protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary.

Set against the backdrop of the Nashville music scene, the critically-acclaimed series follows Rayna Jaymes and Juliette Barnes. Both women face personal and professional challenges as they navigate their paths as artists and individuals. Surrounding them and often complicating their lives are their family, friends and, in some cases, lovers, as well as the up-and-coming performers and songwriters trying to get ahead in the business. Music City can mean so many things to different people. In “Nashville,” musicians and songwriters are at the heart of the storms driven by their own ambitions. Some are fueled by their creativity and passion for fame, others struggle to cope with the pressures of success and doing everything in their power to stay on top.

Master storytellers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (“Lost,” “Tron: Legacy”) invite everyone to join Emma Swan, Snow White, Prince Charming, The Evil Queen, Hook and all the other resident fairy tale characters as they prepare to defend themselves against a magical force from the past that’s too dark and unpredictable even for Rumplestiltskin – The Ice Queen. Welcome to Storybrooke, Maine, a small town that probably won’t show up on your GPS, but it’s a magical place to visit. Reality and myth merged after Emma broke Regina’s curse, which had deprived the fairytale characters of their memories and trapped them in our modern world. When they finally regained their identities, our heroes were dismayed to discover that they weren’t transported back to Fairy Tale Land. To make matters worse, Rumplestiltskin – aka Mr. Gold – decided to escalate his power struggle with Regina by introducing magic into the town. But this is our world, and magic always has a tendency to yield unfathomable consequences.

The people of Arcadia, Missouri are forever changed when their deceased loved ones suddenly start to reappear. An 8-year-old American boy wakes up alone in a rice paddy in a rural Chinese province with no idea how he got there. Details start to emerge when the boy, who calls himself Jacob, recalls that his hometown is Arcadia, and an Immigration agent, J. Martin Bellamy, takes him there. The home he claims as his own is occupied by a 60-year-old couple, Henry and Lucille Langston, who lost their son, Jacob, more than 30 years ago. While they look different, young Jacob recognizes them as his parents. Lucille is overjoyed at the seeming miracle of her son’s reappearance. Henry is reluctant to accept that Jacob is back. Those closest to the family want answers, including Sheriff Fred Langston, whose wife Barbara drowned 30 years ago while trying to save Jacob, and Fred’s daughter, Maggie, a local doctor. Pastor Tom Hale seeks a spiritual reason for what’s happening in his community. When things take an even more shocking turn, Maggie’s life-long friend, Elaine Richards, finds herself drawn into Arcadia’s growing mystery. Bellamy, an outsider in the town, joins forces with Maggie to figure out why the unexplainable is happening in Arcadia. As their investigation plays out, Maggie learns some unsettling truths about her own past. Will they be able to solve the mystery of Arcadia before the rest of the world catches on to events there? And will they be able to protect Jacob from forces beyond their control?

Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp), by all appearances, is a friendly and sophisticated “girl next door,” but the exclusive world she has immersed herself in is tied to a dark family history, and Emily has quickly proven that she is anything but what she seems. After her father was framed for a horrific crime by neighbors he trusted and was sentenced to a life in prison, Emily never saw her father again and spent her childhood consumed by rage, loss and betrayal. Years later, she returned to the Hamptons under an assumed identity with one endgame – REVENGE, every social overture a carefully planned chip at the foundation of her sworn enemies until their lives come crashing down around them. Now, she must face the consequences of her actions and the havoc she has wreaked on those around her as she continues on her mission.

“Revenge” is executive-produced by Sunil Nayar, Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey. Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts also executive produce. The series, created by Mike Kelley, is produced by ABC Studios.

Everyone has secrets… and Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) has dedicated her life to protecting and defending the public images of the nation’s elite by keeping those secrets under wraps. Pope’s team are at the top of their game when it comes to getting the job done for their clients, but it becomes apparent that these “gladiators in suits” who specialize in fixing the lives of other people, have trouble fixing those closest at hand, their own.

Before there were parenting blogs, trophies for showing up and peanut allergies, there was a simpler time called the ’80s. For geeky young Adam (Sean Giambrone), these were his wonder years, and he faced them armed with a video camera to capture all the crazy. The Goldbergs are a loving family like any other – just with more yelling. Mom Beverly (Wendi McClendon-Covey) is a classic “smother,” an overbearing, overprotective matriarch who rules this brood with 100% authority and zero sense of boundaries. Dad Murray (Jeff Garlin) is gruff, sometimes oblivious but with good intentions. Sister Erica (Hayley Orrantia) is 17, popular, terrifying and not one to mess with. Barry (Troy Gentile) is 16, an overly emotional teen with mad rap skills. Adam is the youngest, a camera-wielding future director with a love of all things “nerdy.”

“The Goldbergs” was created by Adam F. Goldberg, who also serves as executive producer. Doug Robinson and Seth Gordon are executive producers. “The Goldbergs” is produced by Happy Madison, Adam F. Goldberg Productions and Exhibit A Productions in conjunction with Sony Pictures Television.

Tim Allen stars as “Mike Baxter” in “Last Man Standing,” a show about everything that families in America are dealing with today – all filtered through the blunt “man’s man” comedy of an iconic American character. In the series, Mike continues to be surrounded by forces seeking to challenge his ideals on just about everything in which he believes. As he and his wife Vanessa’s three daughters grow up and move on, they’re forced to confront that quintessential parenting dilemma about how much they can still influence their three daughters. As usual, Mike tries to escape any female drama at home in the warm, manly embrace of his job at the Outdoor Man store.

“Last Man Standing” was created by Jack Burditt and is executive-produced by Tim Doyle, Tim Allen, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Shawn Levy, Richard Baker, Rick Messina, Kevin Abbott and Kevin Hench. The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television.

Middle-aged, middle class and living in the middle of the country in Orson, Indiana, Frankie Heck is a harried wife and mother of three who uses her wry wit and sense of humor in an attempt to get her family through each day intact.

ABC’s groundbreaking and multiple Emmy(R) Award-winning hit comedy series, “Modern Family,” takes a modern and often hilarious look at the complications that come with being a family today. Jay Pritchett, with his younger wife Gloria, her son Manny and new baby, sits as the patriarch of a large blended family that includes his grown daughter Claire, who has three kids of her own with her husband Phil, and a grown son Mitchell, who adopted a daughter from Vietnam with his husband Cameron. These three families are unique unto themselves, and together they give us a window into the sometimes warm, sometimes twisted embrace of the modern family.

The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television in association with Picador Productions and Steven Levitan Prods. Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd are the creators/executive producers. Danny Zuker, Paul Corrigan, Brad Walsh, Abraham Higginbotham and Jeffrey Richman also serve as executive producers.

“America’s Funniest Home Videos,” the longest running primetime entertainment show in ABC history, enters its 25th season with the same mission – giving families something genuinely funny to enjoy. Host Tom Bergeron is back, and funnier than ever for his final season, with an abundant supply of fresh clips to keep families laughing from coast to coast. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” has given away over $13 million in prize money and evaluated more than a million videotapes from home viewers.

ABC’s “The Bachelor” is the original primetime romance reality series that offers one lucky man and 25 lucky women the unique opportunity to find true love. This season, the hit series will feature its 19th edition with the new Bachelor getting to know 25 women via a series of social gatherings and exotic, romantic dates – some in groups, some individually. He will introduce some of the women to his family and will visit their hometowns for a slice of their lives in an effort to determine the woman with whom he is most compatible. At the end of the journey, filled with drama and surprises against the backdrop of spectacular international settings, the Bachelor may quite possibly have found true love. But the big question is: After all of this, will he pop the question, and will she say yes?

“The Bachelor” is hosted by Chris Harrison and produced by Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss, Martin Hilton and Alycia Rossiter are executive producers.

Hosted by Emmy(R) Award-winning host Tom Bergeron (“America’s Funniest Home Videos”) and Erin Andrews (sports host & “Dancing with the Stars” Season 10 finalist), “Dancing with the Stars” is the hit series in which celebrities perform choreographed dance routines.

“Dancing with the Stars” is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Rob Wade, Ashley Edens-Shaffer and Joe Sungkur are executive producers. Alex Rudzinski directs.

The battle for lights is on! “The Great Christmas Light Fight” will be returning for a second installment this holiday season. “The Great Christmas Light Fight” first debuted on ABC in December 2013 and featured 20 families competing to have the greatest Christmas display. The families were chosen through an extensive nationwide search, based on their previous elaborate Christmas light displays, incredible choreography and over-the-top designs.

“Shark Tank” is back for a sixth season, with the Sharks continuing the search to invest in the best businesses and products that America has to offer. In 2012 and 2013, “Shark Tank” received an Emmy-nomination for Outstanding Reality Program; as well as a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Reality Series – Competition. The series was nominated for a Producers Guild Award in 2013; and in 2014, the NAACP Image Awards nominated the show for Outstanding Reality Series. The ratings and popularity for “Shark Tank” continue to build, regularly winning Friday as the No. 1 TV series on the night in Adults 18-49 in almost all of its original telecasts this season.

Mark Burnett, Clay Newbill and Phil Gurin are the executive producers of “Shark Tank,” which is based on the Japanese “Dragons’ Den” format created by Nippon Television Network Corporation. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television.

“The Taste” features no-holds barred Chef Anthony Bourdain, British food star Nigella Lawson, expert Chef/author Ludo Lefebvre and Chef, author and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson. These four stars of the culinary world each mentor teams of four contestants as they vie to create the best tasting dishes in a state of the art kitchen. “The Taste” is open to everyone – from home cooks to professional chefs – in an effort to find some of America’s most naturally gifted cooks. 16 culinary hopefuls will ultimately win the chance to show off their skills in “The Taste” kitchen where one blind spoonful of food can determine whether a competitor stays or goes home.

“The Taste” is from Kinetic Content and is executive-produced by Chris Coelen, Matilda Zoltkowski, Emma Conway, Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson and Brian Smith who is also the director.

The ABC News primetime news magazine “20/20” has distinguished itself as one of the most esteemed programs in broadcast journalism. Celebrating its 36th anniversary this season, “20/20” continues to combine hard-hitting investigative reports, newsmaker interviews and compelling human interest and feature stories. The program is anchored by award-winning journalists Elizabeth Vargas and David Muir. For over three decades “20/20” has offered viewers reports and stories that have changes lives.

I been struggling, obtaining a telephone number to the production company for
” Criminal Minds”.
I have ideas for stories for the show that this is produce by your studios,
that I never received any type of feedback.
Would an associate, please assist me on this.
“Thank you”

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May 28, 2014 11:59 am

Reader

Why Watch

No much of a reason to even watch ABC. Except perhaps to laugh at the inaneness of Revenge.

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May 14, 2014 3:27 pm

Reader

mirta ramos

If they don’t bring back twisted. I am sorry but, I will not be watching ABC FAMIlY. Sorry about this, but my favorite is Twisted.

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May 14, 2014 4:43 am

Reader

Carol

You gotta be kidding!!!!! This has got to be the worst line-up ever. Besides Castle and Revenge, I know I won’t be watching ABC!!!! Of course, since I am “on in years”, I guess I don’t know what people like on TV. Thank heavens for the ability to change channels.

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May 13, 2014 3:13 pm

Reader

Diane Miller

I sure hope they don’t drag out the storyline for Once Upon A Time like they did this season being stuck in Neverland trying to rescue Henry. It was at least 6 months of the boring, dull storyline.
I prefer the Enchanted Forest and the believable characters from the Fairy Tales, not Frozen. I sure hope thy don’t bring in aliens, monsters or zombies. If they do, then I’ll stop watching it.